This is our favorite park in Tsuruoka. It's in the middle of the city and is the site of an old samurai castle. The castle was razed during the Meiji restoration, but moats and other structures still exist.

This is a nice modern water fountain on one side of the park.

Here is Kim with the pavillion seen in the background of the previous picture.

There's also a small rose garden on the opposite side of the park.

There are several shrines in the park. Here is a small one with many tori, or red gates.

The outer moat is home to many koi. During the winter, they are kept in a heated portion of the inner moat. It's fun to stop and look at the koi!

More koi...

There is a museum in the park and several random monuments. Here is Peter with a neglected, overgrown monument.

Flowers from the garden...

The outer moat is occupied by swans and ducks who live there year round. They are fairly nice swans!